LAS VEGAS — Ex-Bulls All-Star small forward Luol Deng’s decision to sign with his former rival, the Heat, might strike some as odd.

But his Chicago-based agent, Ron Shade, explained that perhaps the Heat’s knowledge of Deng’s game, makes Miami a surprisingly good fit, especially with the departure of league MVP LeBron James to Cleveland.

“I think Miami, obviously losing probably losing the greatest player in the game currently, their team is going to change a bit. The comfort that he had is when we sat down with (Heat president) Pat Riley and since we’ve talked to him, he’s said they know Lu. They’ve played against him. They’ve seen Lu at his best moments and his worst moments, and I think they understand that while Lu isn’t going to fill in for LeBron, Lu can step in and replace some of the things that LeBron did,” Shade told CSNChicago.com. “They’re not looking for Lu to be LeBron. They’re looking for Lu to be Luol in LeBron’s place and that means they know Chris (Bosh) is going to have to be better, Dwyane (Wade) is going to have to be better and Lu can be better. I think that’s the main thing that they see, that the weight is going to be evenly distributed between those three guys and looking forward to the camaraderie that they can build. The truth of the matter is, they still can be a contender in the East.”

Deng, who was also pursued by the likes of Washington, Dallas, Atlanta and Phoenix, was widely expected to garner a long-term contract of upward of $12 million, and after the Bulls traded him to the Cavaliers following his rejection of a three-year, $30-million contract offer in January, the South Sudan native accepting a two-year, $20-million deal — with a player option in the second year — could seem a bit curious, something Shade admits, though he presented the rationale in the situation.

“The whole process, it was strange. Nothing really happened the way we expected it to, and Lu being the professional that he was, he made the best out of every possible situation that he was put in. He didn’t want to rush through the process. He wanted to hear everything out and kind of look at every option, and look at the pros and cons of each option, and move forward from there,” Shade said. “The Bulls’ offer when he was traded to Cleveland, it was a take-it-or-leave-it offer. In this situation, we still had options. Luol had choices to make. He made them. He decided this, and at the end of the day, while it’s $10 million, there’s no state income tax. So maybe you gain about a million dollars in that. But at the same time, it gives him options. He’s a free agent at the end of this year, and it gives him the opportunity to play out a year healthy, to play out a year in a situation where he can be highlighted. So what’s in the past is in the past. The Bulls’ offer is the Bulls’ offer. Whether it’s good, bad or indifferent, at that time, we didn’t feel it was the right offer to accept for Lu and right now he’s happy with the decisions that he’s made, and he knows it’s going to be great to help him further his career.”

This comment “He decided this, and at the end of the day, while it’s $10 million, there’s no state income tax. So maybe you gain about a million dollars in that.” If my agent made that kind of shaky math, I would fire him immediately.

Illinois has a 5% state income tax, Chicago has no city income tax. But that only applies to half the games. Other games you file based on the state your playing in. So basically Deng gets half of 5% of his income back or 250K. That’s definitely money, but it isn’t “about a million dollars” kind of money. I wouldn’t be surprised if his agent is some buddy of his. Amazing. How can you trust a guy who can’t even do the 5 minutes worth of research to figure out the difference between a Florida income and a Illinois one? Not me, but you know the old saying: A fool and his money are soon parted.

Rob, he was probably taking an offer that allows him out after next season. He and his agent felt he was worth well over 10 mill which is what he turned down in Chicago. So honestly if he has a good year, he opts out and gets more money elsewhere, if he has a bad year, he can opt in and try again.

From context, he is clearly talking about this year, its in the second quote.

“The Bulls’ offer when he was traded to Cleveland, it was a take-it-or-leave-it offer. In this situation, we still had options. Luol had choices to make. He made them. He decided this, and at the end of the day, while it’s $10 million, there’s no state income tax. So maybe you gain about a million dollars in that. ”

That’s talking about this year, followed by his discussion of options for next year. The agent is comparing Chicago’s offer for this year to Miami’s offer for this year when he is speaking about the million dollars.

I have no doubt that the opt out made the deal more preferable, but that is not what the lines I quoted referred to.

Difference of months. Yes Chicagos was a take it or leave it, but Deng wanted more at the time. He can spin it how he wants it. Chicago fans miss him no matter what, but he thought he was worth more than 10 mill

Agree with you Bringin. Deng was looking for more than $10 mil. Next year there is no James or Anthony or Parsons to compete against. Love is the only big name next year. With a good year Deng will get his big contract, maybe even from Miami.

Taxes are owed in the state where they are earned (generally). There are other issues related to where you live vs. where you work, but that is the gist.

I think Deng made a calculated error when he turned down the Bulls 3 year offer, & his agent is trying to spin it as a positive. I’m sorry, but it’s highly unlikely he will get more money after he opts out. There are teams that had plenty of money, but none would offer more than the Heat.

The Heat made a great signing, as Deng is a fantastic team player who can help the Heat a lot. I think Miami fans will really like him. He seems like a really good dude and a very hard worker.

That’s actually a realistic possibility. He was apparently upset with the offer he received, and his belief that his serious illness during the playoffs two years ago was not handled correctly by the franchise.

Congratulations for making a statement that might actually be correct, for a change.